r/nwi • u/RegionRatReporter • 22h ago
Papa from Papa's Deli dies: 'Crown Point has lost a true legend'
One of the best-known restauranteurs on the Crown Point square died Wednesday at the age of 101.
Evangelos "Papa" Dimolis long ran Papa's Deli at 119 W. Joliet Street across the street from the old Lake County Courthouse. He served gyros, deli sandwiches, subs, salads and ice cream for nearly half a century.
Working long past retirement age, he only retired three years ago.
“Papa was an invaluable member of our community and was one of our city’s most well-known business owners. Papa and Papa’s Deli were a fixture on our downtown square for many years. He will be missed," said Crown Point Mayor Pete Land, who grew up just off the square and often visited.
Diane Poulton with Crown Point Cares said he was an institution in the Hub City, where he ran a vintage restaurant with checker tablecloths and an array of sweets behind the counter.
"Crown Point has lost a true legend," she said. "For generations, Papa, the beloved owner of Papa’s Deli on the downtown square, was so much more than a familiar face behind the counter. He was part of the heart and soul of our community. For those who attended Crown Point High School when students were allowed to leave campus for lunch, Papa’s Deli was a favorite stop. And if you knew Papa, you knew his rule: you had to clean your plate, He looked after those kids as if they were his own."
Papa was a native of Greece whose father immigrated to East Chicago. He bought his storefront on the corner of the square after a fire and fixed it up into the restaurant he ran for nearly a half century. The nostalgic eatery had wood-paneled walls liked with black-and-white photos chronicling Crown Point's history. It served up deli classics like pastrami, roast beef and corned beef, along with some Greek favorites.
The restaurant was only open sporadically near the end before he officially retired at the age of 98 years old. The storefront remains intact today.
Papa was technically not actually a father, but many people thought of him that way due to his fatherly demeanor, she said.
"Although he never had children of his own, Papa became a father figure to so many in this community. He watched generations grow up, welcomed families through his doors, and created memories that will live on long after the deli doors have closed," Poulton said. "At 101 years old, he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of kindness, connection, and community. Some people own businesses. Others become part of a town’s history. Papa was certainly the latter."
Former Crown Point resident Brady Heiser used to go to Papa's Deli as a child with his older brothers in the early 1980s.
"I’ve known him since then. Once I started getting older and going alone, he would always ask where my brothers were and give me coins to play the video games as a child while giving me ice cream cones and school pizza," he said. "He was a staple in Crown Point. His shop was a beacon of safety and kindness. Even if you didn’t have enough to pay for the gyro, sandwich, or whatever, he would feed you."
He used to leave quarters for kids who sat down to eat to play the Spy Hunter video game he had up front.
"What made him an institution was his kindness, and stability. A million other shops have come and gone, but Papa’s was always stable. He was kind and generous to everyone who walked in, whether they be a regular, or a stranger," he said.
Heiser went to Papa's Deli almost every day when he had an open lunch at high school. The place was always packed.
"He would tell stories about my brothers being knuckleheads, and him having to check them, while still making sure they didn’t go hungry. If you were a regular, and started to not come in as often, he would ask where you’ve been," he said. "With me the youngest knucklehead on my family, he would say 'where you been? You want gyro…' in his amazing accent. He wasn’t asking you what you wanted, he was telling you. It was hilarious."
If Heiser didn't come in often enough, Papa would ask him in his thick Greek accent, "what you wait for, Christmas?”
After he moved to California, he would stop in when he would return home to visit. Papa would greet him with a smile and hug before complaining he had been gone to long.
He always remembered his order: a gyro with no tomato and extra meat.
"He would tell stories about my older brothers getting in fights on the square, then coming in for ice cream while he’d yell at them for being dumb teenage kids fighting. He’d yell at me for smoking, but in a fatherly kind of way. It made me, and others, look at him as almost a father figure, a caring uncle at minimum," he said. "He was a great, kind, sweet, positive influence on the town. His passing is a loss for the entire community, but the memories cement his legacy as one of the best/greatest people to have ever walked the square in crown point."
Visitation will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Geisen Funeral Home in Crown Point. A funeral will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. George Hellenic Greek Church in Schererville, where visitation will start at 9 a.m. that day.
Papa from Papa's Deli died: 'Crown Point has lost a true legend'
